Search - Art of Fighting :: Wires

Sublime, Atmospheric Pop

The Laughing World | Brisbane, Australia | 05/21/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Despite being a long time in the making, or perhaps because of it, 'Wires', the debut full-length album from Melbourne melancholists Art Of Fighting is a fantastic album, having the necessary nuances to push an album from the 'good' to the 'great' category. The pace and volume of the tracks rarely rises above a murmur, which lends the album a late-evening brooding atmosphere. AOF share similar traits with many of their contemporaries, particularly the seemingly mournful lyrical content, however also show a sense of optimism and use of the pop hook which sometimes is forgotten about by other artists. The tracks which consistently shine above the rest include 'Akula' and the utterly fantastic 'Reasons Are All I Have Left', which is approximately four minutes of pure atmospheric artpop. The critically-acclaimed Wires is something that sounds great now, and most likely will have the staying power that will make it sound great in twenty or thirty years."

Introspective indie rock at its absolute best

Rohan B. Thompson | San Francisco, CA United States | 01/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Largely unknown here in the USA, Art of Fighting now face the challenge of conquering the indie airwaves of America and what a sparkling album they have in their arsenal with which to do it."Wires" is post-Smiths introspection at its best. The album sneaks to a start with the haunting "Skeletons" then effortlessly moves into "Give Me Tonight", a song peppered with the most angst heard in a song since Sandpit broke up. While the whole disc is nothing but top-notch, the standout tracks "I Don't Keep a Record", "Find You Lose" and "Something New" - a song that builds beautifully into a crescendo of pained soul searching.Shoe-gazing, bleeding-heart indie rockers of America owe it to themselves to beat a bee-line to their record stores and pick up this gem."

Quite Simply One of the Best in 2001

Dougal Parsons | Sydney, NSW Australia | 02/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I guess all the other reviews give background into the band and breakdown of the songs, etc...so i'll make it short. This album is actually unbelievable, in the true sense of the word. As i was first listening to it, I kept on waiting for that sign of naivety or pretension. Yet none was forthcoming, in the music or lyric content. This band really does a rare and difficult thing well. A music that dangerously swells in melody but always lands on its feet. You'll get what I mean when you hear tracks like "Something New", "Akula", "Find You Lost" and "Just say I'm right". The space and subsequent placement of each track's 'sound' (especially the aforementioned) surprises and uplifts the listener.The album also displays mastery of the 'straightforward' song. (the only way to put it...compared to the other, non-straightforward songs on the album) Immediately catchy and emotive tunes like "Give Me tonight" and "Reasons are all I have left"(My personal fav) will have you mesmerised.I saw this band in front of 5 otherwise uninterested viewers at 'The Brass Monkey' ... a dingey little club in Southern Sydney. Believe me...their music is deserving of a universal audience.Was that short?"